For years I have been keeping an eye out for clever organizing ideas and clever products - simple concepts that can have a surprisingly positive impact on your life.

Following up on my earlier post about the bin - One of the greatest products I have found and use in recent months is the Simplehuman Cabinet Trash System.

Mounting simply in a cabinet, this bin stores all your plastic grocery bags in the bottom part, ready for use - the top has a special frame that allows you to fit a grocery bag as your bin bag, with the side parts of the frame securely holding the handles.

Although perhaps not so suitable for a large household generating lots of rubbish, for a smaller place it is ideal - simple, effective, environmentally-friendly and easy-to-use.

Genius.

I am not the first person to suggest this, but the single most important organizing tool in your home or workplace has to be the humble rubbish bin.

All sorts of clutter comes into your home and life - packaging from your shopping; letters and mail (junk or otherwise); random bits and bobs that you accrue from work, life, hobbies etc. Incoming clutter is almost never-ending, and the single best thing that you can do to start managing this clutter is to start using your bin more.

10 Tips to Make More of Your Bin 

1. “Think Shrink” - Every time you bin something, do your best to compact it as much as possible - break down cardboard boxes, cut up plastic bottles, tightly crumple paper and plastic bags… It all reduces rubbish volume, saving time on your rubbish processing and reducing impact on landfill sites.
2. Keep a bin near where you process your post/mail - envelopes, junk mail and unwanted letters (ones that don’t compromise your privacy), can be dumped instantly.
3. Have a dedicated bin in your office which is “To shred” - letters and documents that need to be shredded for privacy reasons can have a dedicated, simple end location.
4. Keep a bin near the food preparation area in your kitchen - Food scraps and rubbish can be binned as you go.
5. When you return home with your grocery shopping, take a little time to empty any loose or individually-wrapped products into a sensible storage container - You don’t need to keep the outer wrapper from a pack of chocolate bars! Any rubbish can go straight away.
6. Get a storage system for left-over plastic bags - don’t bin them! Some supermarkets will take them back, or keep hold of them for future use.
7. Strategically place bins around your home - never be too far from a place where you can junk the stuff you don’t need!
8. Recycle where possible - If you have space and inclination for several bins, you can do a lot for the environment by making sure you effectively recycle your rubbish.
9. Don’t flush it, Bin it - A lot of bathroom rubbish gets flushed, instead of binned… This is bad for the environment and can cause serious problems in sewers - get yourself a decent bin for your bathroom (with a flip lid or cover ideally), wrap any embarrassing items in toilet paper and make sure to empty regularly. Job done.
10. Embrace your Bin! - Used effectively, the bin is the swiftest and most convenient way to reduce clutter and simplify your life. Go bin something…

I’ve just read a great post on Wired, entitled Ten Reasons To Throw Away Your Cellphone (via Digg).

It’s fairly succinct, but does touch on a few interesting points:

1. Cellular Phones are a LOT more expensive than people realize.
2. Cell phone use can be a social hazard - Driving whilst using a mobile phone is stupid and dangerous and has already casued several tragic fatalities.
3. Being always available sounds nice in theory, but constant interruptions at all hours are actually very tiresome. Think about what else you could get done if you didn’t have to worry about your mobile all the time.

I’ve spent several brief periods of my life phone-less and dependent on landlines, and despite feeling a bit out of sorts at the time, I was probably better off. No crises went by without me knowing; I didn’t lose any money; my friends and family could still reach me if needed…

On the flip-side, I was less distracted and more productive; a little lighter on my feet and ultimately happier and more relaxed.

Makes you think.